|
There are plenty of ways to make a positive impact on the health of your watershed while staying at home - especially when we do it as a community! That's why we are inviting you to join our Mid Willamette Earth Challenge for Earth Month this year.The Challenge runs from Wednesday, April 1 to Thursday, April 30 and is a great opportunity for you to connect your values with your actions. Click here for more info!
Ready to join the challenge? Click here to join our team
|
|
Eco-Challenge Activity: Get involved in a Community Science initiative!
There are many opportunities for you to get involved in gathering data and observations in your local community or - in this time of social distancing - from your own backyard! Community science programs (also called 'citizen science' programs) are a great way to learn about your local rivers, lands and wildlife, and contribute to a better understanding of our natural world. To learn more about what opportunities are out there, check out the list below (adapted from a 2018 list by K. Mergenthaler & K. Hussey, of the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy)!
Below are some projects you can participate in from your home or backyard:
All Living Things
iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/ - explore and share your observations of the natural world (usually requires a smart phone for taking pictures and recording sounds)
Wildlife
Never Home Alone - The Wild Life of Homes: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/never-home-alone-the-wild-life-of-homes - This project aims to document the species that live indoors with humans, including spiders and insects
Bumble Bee Watch (Xerces Society): https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/ - a collaborative effort to track and conserve North America’s bumble bees
eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): https://ebird.org/home - gather and share bird observations, photos and sounds
Great Backyard Count (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): https://gbbc.birdcount.org/ - annual real-time snapshot of where birds are (next date is February 12-15, 2021)
Nest Watch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): https://nestwatch.org/about/overview/ - Do you have nesting birds in your yard? Join this nationwide monitoring program designed to track successes and failures of nesting birds
Project Feeder Watch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): https://feederwatch.org/ - a winter-long (November-April) survey of birds that visit backyard feeders
Dragonfly Pond Watch (Migratory Dragonfly Partnership): http://www.migratorydragonflypartnership.org/index/welcome - If you have a pond or wetland on your property, join this initiative to track the annual movements of five major migratory dragonfly species in North America
Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper: https://www.monarchmilkweedmapper.org/ - If you are lucky enough to have monarch butterflies visiting your yard, join this project and help track monarch butterflies and milkweed across the west
Bumble Bee Watch (Xerces Society): https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/ - a collaborative effort to track and conserve North America’s bumble bees
eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): https://ebird.org/home - gather and share bird observations, photos and sounds
Great Backyard Count (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): https://gbbc.birdcount.org/ - annual real-time snapshot of where birds are (next date is February 12-15, 2021)
Nest Watch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): https://nestwatch.org/about/overview/ - Do you have nesting birds in your yard? Join this nationwide monitoring program designed to track successes and failures of nesting birds
Project Feeder Watch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): https://feederwatch.org/ - a winter-long (November-April) survey of birds that visit backyard feeders
Dragonfly Pond Watch (Migratory Dragonfly Partnership): http://www.migratorydragonflypartnership.org/index/welcome - If you have a pond or wetland on your property, join this initiative to track the annual movements of five major migratory dragonfly species in North America
Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper: https://www.monarchmilkweedmapper.org/ - If you are lucky enough to have monarch butterflies visiting your yard, join this project and help track monarch butterflies and milkweed across the west
Plants
iMapInvasives: https://www.imapinvasives.org/ - share information about invasive nonnative plants & animals in your yard and garden
Phenology (the study of seasonal animal and plant life cycle events)
Oregon Season Tracker (Oregon State University): http://oregonseasontracker.forestry.oregonstate.edu/ - gather data on precipitation and seasonal plant changes at your home (and at school too, when classes start up again!)
Bud Burst: http://budburst.org/ - observe and track local leafing, flowering, fruiting and leaf-coloring phases of plants
Nature's Notebook (USA National Phenology): https://www.usanpn.org/natures_notebook - Connect with nature, learn and contribute to scientific discovery by observing phenology.
Globe Observer: https://observer.globe.gov/ - track changes in clouds, water, plants, and other life
Bud Burst: http://budburst.org/ - observe and track local leafing, flowering, fruiting and leaf-coloring phases of plants
Nature's Notebook (USA National Phenology): https://www.usanpn.org/natures_notebook - Connect with nature, learn and contribute to scientific discovery by observing phenology.
Globe Observer: https://observer.globe.gov/ - track changes in clouds, water, plants, and other life
Clearinghouse of Projects
SciStarter: https://scistarter.org/ - Search for a wide variety of projects in 27 categories or by region. **Before choosing a project, make sure to check whether or not it can be done while following the "Stay at Home" restrictions!
Extreme Citizen Science: https://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/research/research-centres/excites - Bottom-up, community empowerment initiatives around the world. **Before choosing a project, make sure to check whether or not it can be done while following the "Stay at Home" restrictions!
Extreme Citizen Science: https://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/research/research-centres/excites - Bottom-up, community empowerment initiatives around the world. **Before choosing a project, make sure to check whether or not it can be done while following the "Stay at Home" restrictions!
The following projects are safe to participate in when "Stay Home" restrictions are lifted:
BioBlitz: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/bioblitz/ - organize an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.
COASST: https://coasst.org/ - map dead seabirds, marine debris and human use along the beach
Osprey Watch (Center for Conservation Biology): http://www.osprey-watch.org/ - collect information on breeding osprey
Pacific Flyway Shorebird Survey: http://data.prbo.org/apps/pfss/ - monitor wintering shorebirds across the Pacific flyway
CoastWatch: https://oregonshores.org/coastwatch - Volunteers adopt mile-long segments of Oregon's coast, observing and reporting natural changes and human-induced impacts.
Vaux's Happening (Vaux's Swifts): https://www.vauxhappening.org/ - observe and document communal roosting sites of the Vaux's Swift
COASST: https://coasst.org/ - map dead seabirds, marine debris and human use along the beach
Osprey Watch (Center for Conservation Biology): http://www.osprey-watch.org/ - collect information on breeding osprey
Pacific Flyway Shorebird Survey: http://data.prbo.org/apps/pfss/ - monitor wintering shorebirds across the Pacific flyway
CoastWatch: https://oregonshores.org/coastwatch - Volunteers adopt mile-long segments of Oregon's coast, observing and reporting natural changes and human-induced impacts.
Vaux's Happening (Vaux's Swifts): https://www.vauxhappening.org/ - observe and document communal roosting sites of the Vaux's Swift
Air and Water Quality
Environmental Preparedness & Resilience Empowering People (Oregon State University): http://eprep.oregonstate.edu/ - Participate in a training led by OSU scientists and learn how to take air samples that help communities better understand their air quality.
The Secchi Dip In: https://www.nalms.org/secchidipin/ - gather environmentally important information on our lakes, rivers, and estuaries.
The Secchi Dip In: https://www.nalms.org/secchidipin/ - gather environmentally important information on our lakes, rivers, and estuaries.
Some examples of local custom-built projects
Adopt a Botanical Area (SW Oregon): https://www.kswild.org/conservation-efforts/tag/adopt-a-botanical-area - community watchdog program in designated Botanical Areas throughout the Klamath-Siskiyou region
Bald Hill Farm Turkey surveys (Greenbelt Land Trust): https://blog.nature.org/science/2018/02/21/can-you-ever-have-too-many-turkeys/ - help answer questions about the size and growth of the turkey population at Bald Hill Farm
BioBlitz (Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument): https://www.cascadesiskiyou.org/bioblitz-2017 - BioBlitz event focused on collecting information on amphibian and reptile species across the diverse habitats of the Monument
Fairy Shrimp & Endangered Plant surveys (The Nature Conservancy): Molly Morison, mmorison@tnc.org
Minto Island Turtle Surveys (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife): Sue Beilke, sue.g.beilke@state.or.us, 503-621-3488 x228
Water Quality Monitoring: https://secure.everyaction.com/YQhutPgqQUSbgq0S2KcCUA2 - collect, transport, test, and analyze water samples
Bald Hill Farm Turkey surveys (Greenbelt Land Trust): https://blog.nature.org/science/2018/02/21/can-you-ever-have-too-many-turkeys/ - help answer questions about the size and growth of the turkey population at Bald Hill Farm
BioBlitz (Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument): https://www.cascadesiskiyou.org/bioblitz-2017 - BioBlitz event focused on collecting information on amphibian and reptile species across the diverse habitats of the Monument
Fairy Shrimp & Endangered Plant surveys (The Nature Conservancy): Molly Morison, mmorison@tnc.org
Minto Island Turtle Surveys (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife): Sue Beilke, sue.g.beilke@state.or.us, 503-621-3488 x228
Water Quality Monitoring: https://secure.everyaction.com/YQhutPgqQUSbgq0S2KcCUA2 - collect, transport, test, and analyze water samples
Did we miss anything? Let us know if you have another community science initiative to add by sending us an email at Outreach@LuckiamuteLWC.org or by leaving a message at 503-837-0237. Thank you!
